Narrative:

Our taxi clearance cleared us to cross a runway at a particular taxiway en route to the active runway and nothing more. The copilot and I discussed the taxi route since the clearance given us allowed several possible rtes. This discussion slowed our progress somewhat, but we could still make the 'wheels up' time if we had no further delays. I called for the before takeoff checklist. Then we discovered the split flap condition. I directed the copilot to retract the flaps, but they would not move. Hoping for a quick fix I asked the copilot to reset the flap control circuit breakers. This resulted in 'head down' time for the copilot while referencing the flight manual to find the flap circuit breaker location on the circuit breaker panel. Meanwhile, I scanned the electrical panel thinking that perhaps an electrical fault was causing the flap problem. Then I noticed that we were approaching a runway as I had expected. Seeing that the copilot was looking at the flight manual, I said that we are crossing a runway and the left was clear. The copilot looked up and down the runway and confirmed it was clear. After crossing the runway I noticed that the taxiway turned left, but I had expected it to turn right. Then I realized that I had crossed the active runway without an ATC clearance. I had missed the turn specified in the taxi clearance just a few seconds before crossing the active runway. Fortunately, this occurred at a relatively quiet airport (by air carrier standards) and there was no traffic at that time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF ACR MLG ACFT INADVERTENTLY TAXIED ACROSS AN ACTIVE RWY DURING TAXI FOR TKOF DUE AN ACFT EQUIP PROBLEM DISTR.

Narrative: OUR TAXI CLRNC CLRED US TO CROSS A RWY AT A PARTICULAR TAXIWAY ENRTE TO THE ACTIVE RWY AND NOTHING MORE. THE COPLT AND I DISCUSSED THE TAXI RTE SINCE THE CLRNC GIVEN US ALLOWED SEVERAL POSSIBLE RTES. THIS DISCUSSION SLOWED OUR PROGRESS SOMEWHAT, BUT WE COULD STILL MAKE THE 'WHEELS UP' TIME IF WE HAD NO FURTHER DELAYS. I CALLED FOR THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST. THEN WE DISCOVERED THE SPLIT FLAP CONDITION. I DIRECTED THE COPLT TO RETRACT THE FLAPS, BUT THEY WOULD NOT MOVE. HOPING FOR A QUICK FIX I ASKED THE COPLT TO RESET THE FLAP CTL CIRCUIT BREAKERS. THIS RESULTED IN 'HEAD DOWN' TIME FOR THE COPLT WHILE REFING THE FLT MANUAL TO FIND THE FLAP CIRCUIT BREAKER LOCATION ON THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL. MEANWHILE, I SCANNED THE ELECTRICAL PANEL THINKING THAT PERHAPS AN ELECTRICAL FAULT WAS CAUSING THE FLAP PROBLEM. THEN I NOTICED THAT WE WERE APCHING A RWY AS I HAD EXPECTED. SEEING THAT THE COPLT WAS LOOKING AT THE FLT MANUAL, I SAID THAT WE ARE XING A RWY AND THE L WAS CLR. THE COPLT LOOKED UP AND DOWN THE RWY AND CONFIRMED IT WAS CLR. AFTER XING THE RWY I NOTICED THAT THE TAXIWAY TURNED L, BUT I HAD EXPECTED IT TO TURN R. THEN I REALIZED THAT I HAD CROSSED THE ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT AN ATC CLRNC. I HAD MISSED THE TURN SPECIFIED IN THE TAXI CLRNC JUST A FEW SECONDS BEFORE XING THE ACTIVE RWY. FORTUNATELY, THIS OCCURRED AT A RELATIVELY QUIET ARPT (BY ACR STANDARDS) AND THERE WAS NO TFC AT THAT TIME.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.